Chapter 28, Section 1: The Economy East Asia Today Chapter 28, Section 1: The Economy

Important Vocabulary Commune: large farming communities. Cooperative: farms jointly operated by households. Merchant Marine: fleets used for commercial transportation and exportation.

Vocabulary (Cont’d) Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): ensures trade among member states is fair and efficient. Trade Surplus: the value of a country’s exports exceeds the value of its imports. Trade Deficit: the value of a country’s imports exceeds the value of its exports.

Vocabulary (Cont’d) Dissident: citizens who speak out against gov’t policies. Ex: Tiananmen Square. Economic Sanctions: trade restrictions. Ex: China for human rights violations. World Trade Organization (WTO): an international body that oversees trade agreements and settles trade disputes.

Chinese Agriculture Over 40% of China’s workers are farmers. China produces: rice, wheat, tea, cotton, soybeans; silk. The Great Leap Forward (1958) organized farmers into communes. Work and produce are shared with gov’t oversight on production. Famine in the 1960s led to policy changes. Smaller, private farms are now permitted, yielding more profit and production.

Mongolian Agriculture Mongolia’s land is mainly used for livestock grazing. Efforts to shift gov’t- ownership of land to privatization has led to economic growth.

Korean Agriculture 7% of South Korea’s workforce are farmers, working on small farms. Urbanization has led to the mechanization of farming. 37% of North Korea’s workforce are farmers. Farms are organized into cooperatives. The Communist Gov’t controls crop production and rations. Corn, wheat, rice, and milk are in short supply.

Japan & Taiwan Agriculture Farmers are challenged by the physical geography. Japanese farmers use fertilizers, machinery, and irrigation to increase crop yields. Taiwan faces similar issues. They produce rice, sugarcane, tea, and bananas.

Japanese Industry Japan’s workforce is highly skilled and well-educated. Japan were leading producers of cars, computers, and other goods. Global economic power. Bank failures in the 1990s led to an economic slump. Gov’t reforms led to an economic upswing in 2003 until the global financial crisis in 2008.

Korean Industry After the Korean War, South Korea shifted into an industrial economy with foreign investments. South Korea was hit hard with the 2008 global financial crisis. North Korea’s gov’t-owned industries produce machines and military equipment. North Korea relied heavily on the Soviet Union for economic aid. They now depend on China.

Taiwanese Industry Taiwan has a strong export-based economy. Industries specialize in textiles, plastics, and electronic goods. Most Taiwanese work in service industries.

Chinese Industry The Chinese Gov’t controls most major industries. Many factories lack updated technology and incentives. Chinese leaders have adopted some privatization and free markets to spur economic growth. The market economies in Hong Kong and Macau bring great wealth to China.

Transportation Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea have sophisticated highway and railway networks. Mongolia’s roads are mostly unpaved. China has made improvements with the China-Tibet Railway. China and Japan’s seaports are stations for merchant marine fleets.

Communications China and North Korea’s Communist Gov’ts control all forms of communication. In Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, they enjoy a free press.

Japanese Trade Since Japan has few mineral resources, it relies on trade. Japan has protectionist tariff (taxes on trade) policies. Japan has a trade surplus due to high tariffs and global demands. Japan’s trade policies complicates her relations with other countries.

Chinese Trade & Human Rights China has sought to increase trade with the U.S. to grow economy. U.S. worries over Chinese currency manipulation and trade surplus. Human rights violations in China and harsh treatment of dissidents remains a major concern. In 1989, the Chinese Gov’t brutally suppressed a student protest in Tiananmen Square (Beijing).

Chapter 28, Section 2: People and their Environment East Asia Today Chapter 28, Section 2: People and their Environment

Important Vocabulary Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): gaseous substances found in liquid coolants. Aquaculture: the cultivation of fish and other seafood.

Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are primary energy source. China, Mongolia; North Korea use their coal reserves for power. Taiwan, Japan; South Korea must import their energy sources. Burning fossil fuels can lead to acid rain and air pollution. Gov’ts are working on using cleaner energy sources like solar power.

Nuclear Energy Japan, South Korea; Taiwan are using more nuclear energy: between 30-40%. Small nuclear power production in China and none in North Korea. Accidents occurred in Japan and South Korea in the late-1990s, which caused radiation poisoning. The Japanese are working on wind and solar power projects.

Human Impacts in China China has horrible air pollution from outdated technology and industries. Heavy usage of coal for power has led to acidic rain. China’s disposes billions of tons of waste products into its sewage, causing unclean drinking water. Commercial logging has caused soil erosion deforestation; flooding.

Human Impacts in Korea & Taiwan Urban areas are also plagued by air and water pollution. South Korea faces issues with disposing radioactive nuclear waste. North Korea also faces hazardous effects from nuclear weapons testing and burning fossil fuels.

Human Impacts in Japan Since the 1970s, Japan’s gov’t has worked feverishly on improving the environment. Japanese auto manufacturers created no emission fuel cell engines in 2006. Japan has strict pollution laws; aimed at reducing CO2. Japan adopted aquaculture to solve overfishing in the Sea of Japan.

Future Challenges East Asia continues to grapple with natural disasters (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes; typhoons) since it is located within the Ring of Fire. Japan experiences about 1,500 earthquakes annually, and has 80 active volcanoes. China has constructed dams like the Three Gorges to reduce the effects of floods, improve irrigation, and produce hydroelectricity.